This August 14 talented Paine College students received additional funds for their education. After a rigorous selection process, Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) Scholars Committee awarded over $45,000 to the students, making them the first group of students to receive the scholarship.

The scholars program was result of a new collaboration with Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP), one of the world’s largest providers of business outsourcing solutions. Five juniors and nine seniors were chosen to receive the scholarship at the beginning of the Fall 2009 semester.

In February, Paine College, Augusta State University and Augusta Technical College announced a three-year partnership with Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP). Combined, the three institutions received $600,000 to be distributed to increase the number of graduates in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well as to increase the number of certified teachers in critical need STEM fields.

Each institution planned to establish scholarships with the funding from the grant. Paine plans to graduate at least 20 students through ADP Scholarships in STEM areas and greatly expand academic support programs in STEM disciplines. “Paine College is proud to partner with ADP, along with other institutions of higher education in Augusta, in the development of the ADP Scholars Program designed to meet the goal of producing a scientifically literate citizenry for Augusta, Georgia, and America,” said Dr. George Bradley, president of Paine College.

Soon after the check presentation, Paine College formed a committee that worked diligently to establish the ADP Scholars program at Paine College. This program is different from any other scholarship program we’ve established institutionally,” said Dr. Tina Marshall-Bradley, special assistant to the provost and professor of Education at Paine College.

The scholarship requires each student to work as a Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant. Students will have a chance to present research to faculty, peers and others during local and national conferences.

Scholarship recipient Chenoa Murray was elated about engaging in more research. “Through the research assistant component of this scholarship, I’d like to focus on Public Health,” said Murray, a senior biology major. Murray’s interest in Public Health stems from her need to “address the issues of today’s society and impact tomorrow’s world,” she said.

As a senior at Paine, she has an extensive research background. Her senior research project is entitled The Effect of Mental Stress on Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Youth, which she researched at the Medical College of Georgia.

With the ADP scholarship, Murray will be working on two Public Health research projects. She is currently serving as a research assistant on two research projects with Paine College and the Medical College of Georgia.

“Being given this opportunity to engage in additional biology research is really exciting,” she said. “Opportunities like this show what Paine College students learn in the classroom can be applied to problems in the real world,” Murray said.